A professional is a member of a vocation founded upon specialized educational training. Examples of professions include: medicine, law, engineering. The word professional traditionally means a person who has obtained a degree in a professional field. The term is used more generally to denote a white collar worker, or a person who performs commercially in a field typically reserved for hobbyists or amateurs.

In western nations, such as the United States, the term commonly describes highly educated, mostly salaried workers, who enjoy considerable work autonomy, a comfortable salary, and are commonly engaged in creative and intellectually challenging work. Less technically, it may also refer to a person having impressive competence in a particular activity.

Because of the personal and confidential nature of many professional services and thus the necessity to place a great deal of trust in them, most professionals are held up to strict ethical and moral regulations.

Work

Definition

Main criteria for professional include the following:

# Expert and specialized knowledge in field which one is practicing professionally. # Excellent manual/practical and literary skills in relation to profession. # High quality work in (examples): creations, products, services, presentations, consultancy, primary/other research, administrative, marketing or other work endeavors. # A high standard of professional ethics, behavior and work activities while carrying out one's profession (as an employee, self-employed person, career, enterprise, business, company, or partnership/associate/colleague, etc.). The professional owes a higher duty to a client, often a privilege of confidentiality, as well as a duty not to abandon the client just because he or she may not be able to pay or remunerate the professional. Often the professional is required to put the interest of the client ahead of his own interests. # Reasonable work morale and motivation. Having interest and desire to do a job well as holding positive attitude towards the profession are important elements in attaining a high level of professionalism. # Participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs b : having a particular profession as a permanent career c : engaged in by persons receiving financial return # Appropriate treatment of relationships with colleagues. Special respect should be demonstrated to special people and interns. An example must be set to perpetuate the attitude of one's business without doing it harm. # A professional is an expert who is master in a specific field.

Trades

In narrow usage, not all expertise is considered a profession. Although sometimes referred to as professions, occupations such as skilled construction work are more generally thought of as trades or crafts. The completion of an apprenticeship is generally associated with skilled labor or trades such as carpenter, electrician, plumber, bricklayer and other similar occupations. A related distinction (and very valid) would be that a professional does mainly mental or administrative work, as opposed to engaging in physical work. Many companies include the word professional in their store name to signify the quality of their workmanship or service.

Sports

In sports, a professional is someone who receives monetary compensation for participating. The opposite is an amateur, meaning a person who does not receive monetary compensation. The term "professional" is commonly used incorrectly when referring to sports, as the distinction simply refers to how the athlete is funded, and not necessarily competitions or achievements.

Sometimes the professional status of an activity is controversial; for example, there is debate as to whether professionals should be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games. The motivation for money (either in rewards, salaries or advertising revenue) is sometimes seen as a corrupting influence, tainting a sport.

It has been suggested that the crude, all or nothing categories, of professional or amateur should be reconsidered. A historical shift is occurring with the rise of Pro-Ams, a new category of people that are pursuing amateur activities to professional standards.

Criticism

Dr. Jeff Schmidt has written that the process of professional training, while it appears to be ideologically neutral, is in fact biased towards those with superior class background and formal education, and more conservative political opinions, who are unlikely to challenge the orthodoxy of the profession. His 2000 book, ''Disciplined Minds'' is subtitled ''A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System that Shapes their Lives''. Schmidt begins his attack on professionalism by observing that qualified professionals are less creative and diverse in their opinions and habits than non-professionals, which he attributes to the subtle indoctrination and filtering which accompanies the process of professional training. His evidence is both qualitative and quantitative, including professional examinations, industry statistics and personal accounts of trainees and professionals.

See also

Profession

References

Category:Occupations Category:Management

ar:محترف cs:Profesionál da:Professionel de:Profi id:Profesional it:Libero professionista ms:Profesionalisme nl:Professional ja:プロフェッショナル ru:Профессионализм simple:Professional sk:Profesionál sv:Professionalism ur:Professional zh:專業人士

name	Blake Griffin
height ft	6
height in	10
weight lb	251
team	Los Angeles Clippers
number	32
position	Power Forward
birth date	March 16, 1989
birth place	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
high school	Oklahoma Christian School (Edmond, Oklahoma)
college	Oklahoma
nationality	American
draft round	1
draft pick	1
draft team	Los Angeles Clippers
draft year	2009
career start	2009
years1	–present | team1 Los Angeles Clippers
highlights	NBA Rookie of the Year () NBA All-Star () NBA All-Rookie First Team () NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion () Big 12 Player of the Year (2009) John R. Wooden Award (2009) Naismith College Player of the Year (2009) AP National Player of the Year (2009) Oscar Robertson Trophy (2009) Adolph Rupp Trophy (2009) NABC Player of the Year (2009) }}

Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Griffin had a renowned high school career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father who was the head coach. He played college basketball for the University of Oklahoma Sooners and was awarded numerous accolades in his second year including the Naismith College Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy and the John Wooden Award. Griffin left college after two seasons to enter the 2009 NBA Draft where he was selected first overall by the Clippers. He missed the entire 2009–10 season due to surgery on his broken left kneecap, which he injured during the final pre-season game. He made his NBA debut as a rookie the following season and was selected as an All-Star, won the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Early years

Childhood

Griffin was born on March 16, 1989 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Tommy and Gail Griffin. His father was a basketball center and track standout at NAIA Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Griffin and his older brother, Taylor Griffin, were home-schooled by their mother from first grade until Taylor was in the tenth grade and Blake was in eighth. Growing up, he was good friends with Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams and played on the same Athletes First AAU basketball team along with Xavier Henry of the Memphis Grizzlies. Griffin’s parents owned a trophy company that Bradford’s father would use and Bradford’s father owned a gym where Griffin and his brother Taylor played basketball. Apart from basketball, he also played first baseman in baseball, and football as a wide receiver, safety and a tight end.

High school

Griffin and his brother Taylor attended Oklahoma Christian School for high school where they played under their father who was the head coach. They played together during the 2003–04 and 2004–05 high school seasons, winning two state high school basketball championships together. In his freshmen year, the Oklahoma Christian Saints posted a perfect 29–0 season and won the Class 3A boys state championship game held at the State Fair Arena against Riverside. In his sophomore year, the Saints repeated as Class 3A state champions and finished the season with a 24–2 record, while averaging 13.6 points per game in what was his final high school season with his brother. He was named to the Little All-City All-State team and his brother was named ''The Oklahoman'' Player of the Year. After the season, his brother went off to play college basketball for the University of Oklahoma. During the summer of 2005, Griffin played against Kevin Durant and Ty Lawson while playing for the Athletes First AAU team.

As a junior, he averaged 21.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists, and led the Saints to the Class 2A championship game, beating Washington High School for a third straight state championship and was named the state tournament MVP. The team finished 27–1 and Griffin was named ''The Oklahoman'' Player of the Year and to the ''Tulsa World'' Boys All-State First Team. His play attracted the attention of the new basketball head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners, Jeff Capel, who first heard of Griffin through his brother Taylor. In the spring of 2006, Capel saw Griffin play for the first time and was impressed with his combination of size, strength and athleticism. Capel recruited Griffin because he felt he was the player he needed to rebuild his tenure with the Oklahoma men's basketball program. Griffin had been considering Duke, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas, but his brother eventually sold him on joining Oklahoma when he raved about the direction of the Sooners and the chance to play together again for his home state.

Griffin committed to Oklahoma before the start of his senior season and averaged 26.8 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.9 blocks per game as a senior while leading the team to a 26–3 record. In a game against Oklahoma City Southeast, Griffin had his best game of the season with 41 points, 28 rebounds, and 10 assists. On March 10, 2007, he played his final high school game in the state title game against Pawnee High School. He registered 22 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks, as the Saints defeated Pawnee 81–50, winning their fourth straight state title. He was named the Class 2A state tournament MVP for the second consecutive year after averaging 26.6 points per game in the tournament, winning its three games by an average of 30.3 points. During his four-year run, the Oklahoma Christian Saints posted a 106–6 overall record.

Griffin was named the Player of the Year by both the ''Tulsa World'' and ''The Oklahoman'' and named a Oklahoma Boys All-State First Team, EA Sports All-American Second Team and a ''Parade'' Third Team All-American. He was ranked as the nation's #13 high school senior by HoopScoop, #20 by scout.com and #23 by rivals.com, and as the country's third-best power forward by HoopScoop, sixth by rivals.com and the seventh by scout.com. Additionally, he was the Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year and was selected to the McDonald's All-American and Jordan Brand All-America teams. At the McDonald's All-American game in Louisville, Kentucky he won the Powerade Jam Fest slam dunk contest.

College career

Griffin was one of the highest rated and most decorated recruits ever at Oklahoma. As a freshman at Oklahoma, he averaged 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game and led the Sooners to a 23–12 record. He ranked ninth in scoring, fourth in rebounding and third in field goal percentage in Big 12. In a game against the Kansas Jayhawks, he suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee five minutes into the Sooners game. Less than two months after injuring his left knee, he injured his right knee in a home victory against Texas A&M;. The injury this time was torn cartilage, and he had arthroscopic surgery on March 2, 2008. He missed the following game, a victory over in-state rival Oklahoma State Cowboys, but was back on the court a week after the injury with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes versus the Missouri Tigers, a win for the Sooners on their home floor. He was a first-team all-district pick by the USBWA and NABC, and was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team and to the first-team All-Big 12 selection by league coaches and Associated Press. He became the first Sooner to make the conference All-Rookie team since Wayman Tisdale in 1983 for the Big Eight Conference. He was expected to be a lottery pick in the 2008 NBA Draft but decided to return to college for a second season to give himself time to mature physically and make Oklahoma a contender for the NCAA championship.

In his sophomore season, the Sooners started out the season winning their first 12 games before falling to the Arkansas Razorbacks. In the third game of the season against the Davidson Wildcats, he scored 25 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, after which he scored 35 points and 21 rebounds against Gardner–Webb, becoming the first player in Big 12 history to record back-to-back games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. This earned him three consecutive Big 12 player of the week honor and finished the season with a record-tying six player of the week honors. In a home victory against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, he set career bests for both points and rebounds with 40 points and 23 rebounds, becoming the only player in Big 12 history and the third player in the history of the University of Oklahoma men's basketball program to score 40 points and get 20 rebounds in the same game, joining Wayman Tisdale (61 points and 22 rebounds in 1983) and Alvan Adams (43 points and 25 rebounds in 1975).

On February 21, he received a concussion in a loss to the Texas Longhorns, when he caught an inadvertent shot to the face from the open hand of Texas center Dexter Pittman. He sat out the second half during the Sooners loss with a bloody nose. It was the Sooners' first loss of their conference schedule for the season. After sitting out the next game, a loss to Kansas Jayhawks, he was cleared by the medical staff and returned a week later to get 20 points and 19 rebounds in a victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Oklahoma finished second in the conference with a 13–3 record but fell short in the first game of the Big 12 Tournament to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. In the "Big Dance", Oklahoma was seeded No. 2 in the South Region with a 27-5 record. In the second-round win over the Michigan Wolverines, he scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, just the second player in the 2000s decade with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in the NCAA tournament. However, the Sooners lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the South Regional final.

Griffin averaged 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during the regular season and earned All-American First Team honors. He led the Big 12 in scoring and rebounds, and recorded at least 20 points and 15 rebounds 15 times, which is a Big 12 record. He also set school and Big 12 single-season records for most rebounds (504), rebounding average (14.4), and double-doubles (30), and his free throw attempts (324) were the most by a Sooner in a single-season. With 30 double-doubles during the season, he was one short of the NCAA record of 31 set by David Robinson in 1986–1987. His total of 504 rebounds were the most in a season by an NCAA Division I player since Indiana State's Larry Bird had 505 in 1978–79 and his rebounding average of 14.4 was the highest since Wake Forest's Tim Duncan averaged 14.7 in 1996–97.

For his sophomore year performance, Griffin swept all six of the national player of the year awards. He was a unanimous choice by voters in all nine geographical districts for the Oscar Robertson Trophy and was named Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, receiving 66 of the 71 national media panel members' votes. Griffin was announced as the winner of the prestigious Naismith College Player of the Year on April 5 in Detroit. Three days after announcing that he would turn pro, he won the John Wooden Award as college basketball's top player. He became the first Oklahoma player in school history to win the Naismith Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Adolph Rupp Trophy, John Wooden Award and the Associated Press player of the year. He was also named Player of the Year by the Big 12, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and FoxSports.com. When combined with Sam Bradford's Heisman Trophy, the University of Oklahoma became the first school to have a winner in both top basketball and football individual awards in the same year.

College statistics

33 35 68

College !! Year	! GP !! GS !! MIN !! PPG !! RPG !! APG !! SPG !! BPG !! FG%!! FT%!! 3P%
Oklahoma	2007–08	33	|	28.4	14.7	9.1	1.8	1.0	.85	.568	.589	.0
Oklahoma	2008–09	35	|	33.3	22.7	14.4	2.3	1.1	1.2	.646	.590	.375
Career	68	|	31.4	18.8	11.8	2.1	1.0	1.05	.618	.589	.300

NBA career

2009–10: Injured season

On April 7, 2009, Griffin announced that he would give up his final two years of eligibility and declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore year. A press conference announcing his decision was aired nationally on ESPNews. He was selected as the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA Draft. Griffin played for the Clippers' Summer League Team and was named Summer League MVP. In their final preseason game, he injured his kneecap as he landed after a dunk. The day before the 2009–10 season started it was confirmed that Griffin had a stress fracture in his left knee, delaying his NBA debut for seven weeks. After resting the stress fracture for several weeks, tests revealed that his knee was not recovering properly. In January 2010, Griffin had surgery on his broken left kneecap, missing the entire 2009–10 season. In the off season Griffin spent a great deal of time working out with a San Francisco-based trainer.

2010–11: Rookie of the Year

Since he missed the entire 2009–10 season, Griffin was still considered a rookie during the 2010–11 season. In his debut for the Clippers against the Portland Trail Blazers, Griffin scored 20 points and registered 14 rebounds. He set a franchise record for most consecutive double-doubles with 23 in a home game against the Golden State Warriors. His streak of consecutive double-doubles ended at 27 games on January 19 in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves where he scored 29 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. On January 17, 2011 against the Indiana Pacers, Griffin scored a career-high and set a Clippers record for most points scored by a rookie with 47 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. He became the first rookie to have two 40+ games in his rookie season since Allen Iverson during the 1996–97 season.

Griffin was voted to the 2011 NBA All-Star Game by coaches as a reserve on the Western Conference squad, becoming the first rookie to play in the All-Star game since Yao Ming in 2003 and the first rookie voted to the game by coaches since Tim Duncan in 1998. He also participated in the 2011 Rookie Challenge and won the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star break. On March 23, 2011, in a double overtime win over the Washington Wizards, Griffin recorded his first career triple-double, 33 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists, and recorded his second triple-double with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, in the final game of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies.

During the season, he captured all six of the Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month, the first time a rookie has swept an entire season of Rookie of the Month awards since Chris Paul during the 2005–06 season. He played in all 82 regular season games and became the first rookie to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds since Elton Brand did it in the 1999–00 season. He led all rookies in points, rebounds and double-doubles, earning him the Rookie of the Year award, and was the first unanimous winner for the award since David Robinson in 1990. He was also the only unanimous selection to the All-Rookie First Team.

Player profile

Standing at , Griffin plays power forward. In his rookie year, he averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He has established himself as a difficult player to guard, especially when coming off the pick and roll. He is often able to get to the free throw line but like many power forwards and centers has a relatively low free throw percentage. Griffin has also become well known for his dunking ability, winning the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 82 || 82 || 38.0 || .506 || .292 || .642 || 12.1 || 3.8 || .8 || .5 || 22.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 82 || 82 || 38.0 || .506 || .292 || .642 || 12.1 || 3.8 || .8 || .5 || 22.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 1 || 0 || 15.0 || .667 || .000 || .000 || 5.0 || 5.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 8.0

Career Highs

Regular season

! Stat	! High	! Opponent	! Date
Points	47	vs. Indiana
Offensive Rebounds	9	vs. Portland
Defensive Rebounds	16	vs. Detroit
Total Rebounds	18	vs. Detroit
Total Rebounds	18	at Philadelphia
Total Rebounds	18	vs. Houston
Total Rebounds	18	vs. Denver
Total Rebounds	18	at Portland
Total Rebounds	18	vs. Golden State
Assists	10	vs. Washington
Assists	10	vs. Memphis

Awards and honors

NBA

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2011

NBA All-Star: 2011

NBA Slam Dunk Champion: 2011

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2011

Western Conference Rookie of the Month: November 2010, December 2010, January 2011, February 2011, March 2011, April 2011

College

2009 Naismith College Player of the Year

2009 John Wooden Award

2009 Adolph Rupp Trophy 2009 Oscar Robertson Trophy 2009 AP All-American First Team 2009 ''Sports Illustrated'' Player of the Year

2009 AP National Player of the Year

2009 ''Sporting News'' Player of the Year Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Men's Basketball Awards

2009 Big 12 Player of the Year

2009 All-Big 12 First Team

*2008 All-Big 12 First Team

*2008 Big 12 All-Rookie Team

High school

Class 3A State Championship: 2004, 2005

Class 2A State Championship: 2006, 2007 Class 2A Tournament MVP: 2006, 2007

''The Oklahoman'' Player of the Year: 2006, 2007

2007 McDonald's All-American

2007 McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Champion

2007 ''Parade'' All-America Third Team

2007 ''Tulsa World'' Player of the Year

2007 Oklahoma Boys All-State First Team

2006 ''Tulsa World'' Boys All-State First Team

2005 Little All-City All-State Team

Off the court

Griffin resides in Manhattan Beach, California.

Endorsements

Griffin appeared on the cover of ''NCAA Basketball 10'' video game by EA Sports, and in an advertising campaign for Subway restaurants. He has appeared in commercials for Kia automobiles and AT&T;, and appeared in ''Sports Show with Norm Macdonald'' with teammate DeAndre Jordan. In April 2011, Panini America signed Griffin to an exclusive long-term deal that will feature his autographs and memorabilia in Panini products. Panini initially signed him to a one year deal, which expired in 2010. He has also signed with Vizio to pitch digital TVs and other products. In April 2011 he appeared in a trailer for the video game ''Rage''.

Philanthropy

He started a fundraiser called Dunking for Dollars, in which he donates $100 to fight childhood obesity for every dunk he makes. The Kia sedan that Griffin jumped over to win the Slam Dunk Contest will be donated for a charity auction on AutoTrader.com with proceeds benefiting Stand Up to Cancer. The auction started May 5, 2011 and runs through May 15. Stand Up to Cancer also has a fund-raising site called Team Blake, in honor of his close friend Wilson Holloway, who died after a three-year fight with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

See also

2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

List of first overall NBA draft picks

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season rebounding leaders

References

External links

Official Site

Statistics

Blake Griffin at ESPN.com

Profiles

Scout.com Profile

Rivals.com Profile

NBADraft.net Profile

DraftExpress Profile

Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Oklahoma Category:NBA Slam Dunk Contest champions Category:Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Los Angeles Clippers draft picks Category:Los Angeles Clippers players Category:American baseball players

ca:Blake Griffin cs:Blake Griffin de:Blake Griffin es:Blake Griffin fa:بلیک گریفین fr:Blake Griffin hr:Blake Griffin it:Blake Griffin he:בלייק גריפין lv:Bleiks Grifins lt:Blake Griffin ja:ブレイク・グリフィン no:Blake Griffin pl:Blake Griffin pt:Blake Griffin ru:Гриффин, Блэйк simple:Blake Griffin sr:Блејк Грифин sh:Blake Griffin fi:Blake Griffin sv:Blake Griffin tr:Blake Griffin zh:布莱克·格里芬

name	Kevin Love
position	Power Forward / Center
height ft	6
height in	10
weight lb	260
nationality	American
team	Minnesota Timberwolves
number	42
birth date	September 07, 1988
birth place	Santa Monica, California
high school	Lake Oswego High School
college	UCLA (2007–2008)
draft round	1
draft pick	5
draft year	2008
draft team	Memphis Grizzlies
career start	2008
team1	Minnesota Timberwolves
years1	2008–present
highlights	NBA All-Star (2011) NBA Most Improved Player (2011) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2009) NBA Rebounding Champion () Pac-10 Player of the Year (2008) Consensus 1st team All-American (2008) Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2007) McDonald's All-American Boys Game (2007) }}

Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Love is one of the top rebounders in the NBA, and he holds the longest streak for consecutive games recording double figures in points and rebounds since the merger between the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the NBA. The Associated Press called Love the new face of the Timberwolves franchise. He is also known for his outlet passing, which led to comparisons to Wes Unseld. A top ranked prospect out of Lake Oswego High School in Oregon, Love played one season of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and led the team to a Final Four appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Love was named the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year and consensus First Team All-American following the season.

Love chose not to complete his three remaining years of college eligibility and entered the 2008 NBA Draft. He was taken fifth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies, and was traded to the Timberwolves on draft night for the third overall selection, O. J. Mayo, in an eight-player deal.

Love was a member of the gold medal-winning United States men's national basketball team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Early years

Kevin Love was born in Santa Monica, California, the second of three children of Karen and former NBA forward Stan Love. A year later, the Love family moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon. Growing up, Stan passed on his interest in basketball by showing his son tapes of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry. In addition, Love studied tapes of all-time great passing centers in Wes Unseld and Bill Walton, along with instructional tapes from Hall of Famers such as Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, and Michael Jordan. For hand and wrist strength, Stan would push Love to do fingertip push-ups as well as other upper body exercises.

High school career

Love had a successful high school career with the Lake Oswego Lakers. In his sophomore year, Love averaged 25.3 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, and led the Lakers to the 2005 Oregon state high school basketball championship game, where they lost to Jesuit High School 57–53. That summer, Love was the center of controversy when Nike removed him from its Portland Elite Legends AAU team because he had chosen to participate in the Reebok ABCD Camp against other top recruits. Love went on to play for the Southern California All-Stars, where the team compiled an unprecedented 46–0 record as he garnered three MVP awards.

In 2006, Love averaged 28.0 ppg, 16.1 rpg, and dished out 3.5 apg as the Lakers returned to the Oregon state championship game. With Love's 24 points and 9 rebounds, the Lakers defeated South Medford and fellow star recruit Kyle Singler, 59–57. In Love's final year at Lake Oswego, he put up 33.9 ppg, 17.0 rpg, and 4.0 apg as the team finished 26–2. Earlier that year, in a game against Rex Putnam High School, Love shattered the backboard on a breakaway dunk. Love and Singler met again for the 2007 championship, this time however, Singler and South Medford defeated Lake Oswego 58–54, overcoming Love's 37 points and 15 rebounds. After the season, Love was named the 2007 Men's Basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Love finished his high school career as the all-time leading scorer in Oregon boys' basketball history with 2,628 points. The previous record had stood for 50 years. The Lakers went 92–21 in four seasons with Love, and made three straight state championship games, winning once.

College career

Love was ranked as one of the top players in the nation from the class of 2007. In July 2006, Love verbally committed to play college basketball for coach Ben Howland at UCLA. He had also considered playing for the University of North Carolina. Love, who had worn number 42 for a majority of his basketball career, received permission from Walt Hazzard to wear the same number with UCLA, even though the school had retired the number for Hazzard in 1996. Since arriving at UCLA, Love had also regularly sought out retired Bruins legends Bill Walton and the late John Wooden for advice.

Love's decision to play for the Bruins brought animosity from fans of the University of Oregon, his father's alma mater, where it was expected he would play. Prior to a game at Oregon, Ducks fans obtained Love's cell phone number and left obscene messages as well as death threats; the fans also subjected Love's family to obscenities and threw garbage at them during the game. This event, along with similar incidents directed at other players, has prompted a discussion of whether abuse by college basketball fans is becoming too extreme. Love finished the game with 26 points and 18 rebounds in a 80–75 win.

In the 2008 Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, the Bruins defeated the USC Trojans, featuring O. J. Mayo, in the semi-finals. Both Mayo and Love were nominated to the All Pac-10 tournament team. Later, Love guided UCLA to the regular season Pac-10 conference championship, the conference tournament championship, and a #1 seed in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Love helped the Bruins to the Final Four of the tournament, where they lost to the Memphis Tigers. At the end of the 2007–08 regular season, Love was named consensus first-team All-American, Pac-10 Player of the Year, and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. He led the Bruins with 17.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, and 23 double-doubles.

NBA career

2008 NBA Draft

In a press conference on April 17, 2008, Love announced his intention to leave UCLA to enter the 2008 NBA Draft. He was taken fifth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies, right after his teammate at UCLA, Russell Westbrook. Following the draft, Love was traded along with Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and Jason Collins to the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the third overall pick O. J. Mayo, Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric, and Greg Buckner going to the Grizzlies.

Rookie season

Love went on to play in the 2008 NBA Summer League and led all players in rebounding. In his NBA debut on October 29, Love came off the bench to contribute 12 points and nine rebounds in a 98–96 win over the Sacramento Kings. The Timberwolves struggled early on losing 15 of their first 19 games, prompting the dismissal of head coach Randy Wittman. Timberwolves general manager Kevin McHale, a Hall of Famer who acquired Love in the trade, took over as head coach and they developed a close relationship. Under McHale, the Timberwolves improved their play in January by going 10–4, with Love averaging a double-double. Love was not selected to the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge, to the surprise of his teammates and coaches. After team's leading scorer Al Jefferson was sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in February, Love's minutes increased, and he was named NBA Rookie of the Month for March.

Love finished the season ninth in the league in rebounding, first among rookies, and ranked third in total offensive rebounds. Love also led all first-years with 29 double-doubles, the most by a Timberwolves rookie in franchise history. He also ranked first in the league in offensive rebound percentage, becoming the first rookie to lead the league since Hakeem Olajuwon in . Love was also second in the NBA in total rebound percentage. He was named to the 2009 NBA All-Rookie Second Team and finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting.

2009–10 season

In the off-season, Love was invited to participate in the USA National Team mini-camp that was conducted from July 22–25 in Las Vegas. Love also generated attention from his Twitter account when he broke the story that Kevin McHale wasn't returning to coach the Timberwolves for the 2009–2010 season.

Love began the season on the injured list when in a pre-season game on October 16, 2009 against the Chicago Bulls, he broke the fourth metacarpal in his left hand by banging it against the elbow of teammate Oleksiy Pecherov. Following surgery, Love missed the first 18 games of the season. He returned against the New Orleans Hornets on December 4, 2009, and made immediate impact for the Timberwolves, who were struggling out of the gate with a 2–16 record.

Kevin Love was selected to play in NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge. He finished the season ranked as the NBA's best rebounder per 48 minutes (18.4), besting Dwight Howard (18.3) and Marcus Camby (18.1).

2010–11 season

The Timberwolves' trade of Jefferson before the 2010–11 NBA season was expected to result in more playing time for Love. However, he averaged 28 minutes through the first nine games, exceeding 30 minutes only twice. Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote that many speculated there was a rift between coach Kurt Rambis and Love. In a home game against the New York Knicks on November 12, 2010, Love became the 19th player to record a "30–30" game, when he recorded 31 points along with a career-high 31 rebounds. His 31 rebounds set a Timberwolves franchise record and were also the most by a player in an NBA game since Charles Barkley recorded 33 rebounds in a game in 1996. Love became the first player to record a 30–30 game since Moses Malone in 1982. Love scored a career-high 43 points and had 17 rebounds on December 18 in a 113–115 loss to the Denver Nuggets. On February 4, 2011, Love was selected by Commissioner David Stern to his first NBA All-Star Game as replacement for the injured Yao Ming. The day before, Love was not selected as an All-Star as a reserve although averaging 21.4 points, a league-best 15.5 rebounds, shooting 43.9 percent from 3-point range, and having 34 straight double-doubles for the 11–37 Timberwolves. On February 8, Love set a team record (previously held by Kevin Garnett) with his 38th consecutive double-double after scoring 20 points and recording 14 rebounds in the Timberwolves' 112–108 win over the Houston Rockets. He scored 37 points and had 23 rebounds on February 27 in a 126–123 win over the Golden State Warriors. It was his fourth 30-point, 20-rebound game of the season, and Love went 18 for 23 from the free throw line to tie Minnesota's team records for made and attempted free throws. On March 13, Love's consecutive double-double streak ended at 53 games in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. It was the longest streak since the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, surpassing Malone's 51-game streak from 1979 to 1980. Love was two short of Elvin Hayes's streak of 55 consecutive double-double set in the 1973–74 season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Wilt Chamberlain holds the record with 227 consecutive double-doubles from 1964 to 1967. The NBA does not recognize the double-double as an official statistic. Love suffered a strained left groin on March 20 against Sacramento. He missed the final six games and nine of the last 11 games of the season due to the injury.

Love led the NBA in rebounding averaging 15.2 per game. He won the NBA Most Improved Player Award after increasing his points per game by 44 percent and his rebounds per game by 38 percent over his previous season. Love established career highs in rebounding, scoring (20.2), assists (2.5), double-doubles (64), field goal percentage (.470), free throw shooting (85 percent), 3-point shooting (41.7 percent) and minutes played (35.8). He became the first player to average at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a season since Malone in the . The Associated Press wrote that he emerged as the new face of the franchise since Garnett was traded from the Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics in 2007. In 2010-11 Love's No. 42 was the Wolves' top-selling jersey since Kevin Garnett was in his prime.

International career

}}

NBA career statistics

	Led the league

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Minnesota | 81 || 37 || 25.3 || .459 || .105 || .789 || 9.1 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 0.6 || 11.1 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Minnesota | 60 || 22 || 28.6 || .450 || .330 || .815 || 11.0 || 2.3 || 0.7 || 0.4 || 14.0 |- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Minnesota | 73 || 73 || 35.8 || .470 || .417 || .850 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 15.2 || 2.5 || 0.6 || 0.4 || 20.2 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 214 || 132 || 29.8 || .461 || .372 || .823 || 11.7 || 1.9 || 0.6 || 0.5 || 15.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 1 || 0 || 12.0 || .333 || .000 || .000 || 4.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 2.0

Personal life

Love's uncle, Mike, is a singer in The Beach Boys and brother of Love's father, Stan. Mike and Stan's cousins include The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson. Love's aunt, Kathleen McCartney Hearst, was an accomplished triathlete. Love has an older brother, Collin, and a younger sister, Emily.

Love's middle name, Wesley, is in honor of Wes Unseld, the former Washington Bullets center and the Loves' family friend.

Love was also picked to be on the front cover for the video game ''NCAA Basketball 09''.

Love was one of the featured stars in the film Gunnin' for That No. 1 Spot, produced and directed by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch.

Love appeared as himself on the Disney Channel show ''The Suite Life on Deck'' during the season 3 episode ''Twister: Part 1'' along with Dwight Howard and Deron Williams.

See also

List of National Basketball Association players with most rebounds in a game

2006 high school boys basketball All-Americans

References

External links

NBA.com profile

Official Website of Kevin Love

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from California Category:Basketball players from Oregon Category:Centers (basketball) Category:UCLA Bruins men's basketball players Category:Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Memphis Grizzlies draft picks Category:Minnesota Timberwolves players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Lake Oswego, Oregon Category:People from Santa Monica, California Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:United States men's national basketball team members

de:Kevin Love es:Kevin Love fa:کوین لاو fr:Kevin Love hr:Kevin Love it:Kevin Love he:קווין לאב lv:Kevins Lavs ja:ケビン・ラブ pl:Kevin Love pt:Kevin Love ru:Лав, Кевин simple:Kevin Love sr:Кевин Лав sh:Kevin Love fi:Kevin Love tl:Kevin Love tr:Kevin Love uk:Кевін Лав (баскетболіст) zh:凯文·乐福 (篮球运动员)

Name	Adrian Peterson
Width	200
Currentteam	Minnesota Vikings
Currentnumber	28
Currentposition	Running back
Birth date	March 21, 1985
Birth place	Palestine, Texas
Heightft	6
Heightin	1
Weight	217
College	Oklahoma
Draftyear	2007
Draftround	1
Draftpick	7
Debutyear	2007
Debutteam	Minnesota Vikings
Pastteams	Minnesota Vikings (–present)
Status	Active
Highlights	Hall Trophy (2003) ''ESPN RISE'' High School Football Player of the Decade (2000s) College awards and honors AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2007) PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year (2007) Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year (2007) 4× Pro Bowl selection (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) 4× All-Pro selection (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) Pro Bowl MVP (2008) FedEx Ground Player of the Year Award (2008) Bert Bell Award (2008) NFL awards NFL records
Statweek	17
Statseason	2010
Statlabel1	Rushing yards
Statvalue1	5,782
Statlabel2	Average rushing yards
Statvalue2	4.8
Statlabel3	Rushing TDs
Statvalue3	52
Statlabel4	Receptions
Statvalue4	119
Statlabel5	Receiving yards
Statvalue5	1,170
Statlabel6	Receiving TDs
Statvalue6	2
Nfl	PET260705 }}

Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985 in Palestine, Texas), nicknamed "A. D." (for "All Day") and "Purple Jesus", is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). Peterson was selected by the Vikings with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma.

While at Oklahoma, Peterson set the NCAA freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards as a true freshman. As a First-team All-American, he also set a freshman record by finishing as the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting (USC's Matt Leinart won the award). Peterson finished as the school's third all-time leading rusher.'''

Following his stellar first pro season in which he set an NFL record for most rushing yards in a single game (296), Peterson was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Peterson was then awarded the MVP award for his performance in the Pro Bowl and became only the fifth player in NFL history to have more than 3,000 yards through his first two seasons. On October 17, 2010, Peterson became the fifth fastest player to run for 5,000 yards, doing so in his 51st game. Peterson has the third highest average yards per game total in NFL history (min. 50 games) with an average of 97.1, 7 yards behind Jim Brown (104.3) and Barry Sanders (99.8).

Early years

Peterson was interested in football as a child; he began playing at the age of 7 and played in the popular Pop Warner Football program. He continued his interest in athletics into high school, where he competed in track and field, posting a wind-assisted time of 10.33 seconds in the 100 meters, basketball, and football at Palestine High School. Peterson was most notable in football, which he played during his junior and senior years. Peterson's 2002–2003 campaign as a junior ended with 2,051 yards on 246 carries, an average of 8.3 yards per carry, and 22 touchdowns. As a senior in 2003–2004, he rushed for 2,960 yards on 252 attempts, an average of 11.7 yards per carry, and 32 touchdowns. Following Maurice Clarett's unsuccessful attempt to sue the NFL over its age limit in 2004, there was considerable debate over whether any high school football player might be able to make the leap from the preps to the pro game. The player most frequently mentioned was Peterson.

Concluding his high school football career at the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl, he led the West squad with 95 yards on 9 carries and scored 2 touchdowns, and announced at the game that he would attend college at Oklahoma. Among his other choices of schools were the USC, Texas, Texas A&M;, UCLA, Arkansas, and Miami. Following the season, he was awarded the Hall Trophy as the U.S. Army National Player of the Year. In addition, he was named the top high school player by ''College Football News'' and ''Rivals.com''.

College career

During his freshman season at Oklahoma, Peterson broke many NCAA freshman rushing records, rushing for 1,925 yards and leading the nation in carries with 339. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing second to USC quarterback Matt Leinart, which was the highest finish ever for a freshman. Among other honors, he was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. and the first Oklahoma freshman recognized as a First-Team ''Associated Press'' All-American. Peterson contributed to a perfect regular season for the Oklahoma Sooners and participated in the 2005 BCS National Championship Game with a berth to the FedEx Orange Bowl, where they were defeated by the National Champion USC Trojans.

In 2005, Peterson's playing time was limited by a high ankle sprain. He injured his ankle in the first Big 12 Conference game of the season against Kansas State University. Despite missing time in four games, he rushed for 1,208 yards and 14 touchdowns on 220 carries, finishing second in Big 12 rushing yardage. His 2005 season was also notable for a career-long 84-yard touchdown run against Oklahoma State University. Upon the conclusion of the season, he was named a member of the All-Big 12 Conference team.

Peterson's father, Nelson Peterson, was released from prison during the 2006 college football season and was able to watch his son as a spectator for the first time on October 14, 2006, when Oklahoma played Iowa State University. Oklahoma defeated Iowa State in that game, but Peterson broke his collar bone diving into the end zone on a 53-yard touchdown run. During a press conference on October 18, Peterson said he was told by doctors to expect to be out for 4–6 weeks. At the time of the injury, Peterson needed only to gain 150 yards to pass Billy Sims as the University of Oklahoma's all-time leading rusher. He was unable to return for the rest of the Sooners' regular season, but returned for their last game against Boise State in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, where he rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown. He refused to discuss his plans beyond the end of this season with the press. He concluded his college football career with 1,112 rushing yards his final season, even after missing multiple games due to injury for a total of 4,045 rushing yards (only 3 seasons). He was 73 yards short of passing Billy Sims as Oklahoma's all-time leading rusher.

Awards and honors

Hall Trophy (2004)

First-team ''AP'' All-Freshman (2004)

First-team consensus All-American (2004)

Doak Walker Award finalist (2004)

Heisman Trophy finalist (2004)

Jim Brown Trophy winner (2004)

Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team (2009).

Professional career

Pre-draft

On January 15, 2007, Peterson declared that he would forego his senior year of college and enter the 2007 NFL Draft. Coming into the league, he was known as a tall, upright runner possessing a rare combination of speed, strength, agility, size, and vision, along with a highly aggressive running style. His rare talent as both a great breakaway and power runner has often raised comparisons to past legends, including Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, O. J. Simpson, Franco Harris and Jim Brown. Concerns about his injuries suffered during college were noted by the media and potential NFL teams. He started 22 out of 31 games in his college career and had a dislocated shoulder his first year (although he did not miss any games), a high ankle sprain his sophomore year, and a broken collarbone his final year at Oklahoma. His durability was a consideration for at least two teams in their draft analysis, which impacted selection position. Prior to the 2007 NFL Draft, Peterson was compared by professional football scouts to Eric Dickerson. ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. said of Peterson, "You can make the argument, [Peterson] is the best player in this draft, if not, certainly one of the top three."

{{nfl predraft | height ft = 6' | height in = 1⅜ | weight = 217 | dash = 4.40 | ten split = 1.53 | twenty split = 2.58 | shuttle = 4.40 | cone drill = 7.09 | vertical = 38| broad ft = 10 | broad in = 7 | bench = 20 | wonderlic = | arm span = | hand span = | note = All values from NFL Combine. }}

Minnesota Vikings

On April 28, 2007, Peterson was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Peterson was the first running back selected in that year's draft. At a press conference during the draft, Peterson announced, "My collarbone, I would say it's 90% healed. A lot of teams know that, and I don't see it stopping me from being prepared for the season."

Peterson believed he was a player that a franchise could build around. In an interview with IGN following the NFL Draft, he said, "I'm a player who is coming in with the determination to turn a team around. I want to help my team get to the playoffs, win…and run wild. I want to bring people to the stands. I want people to come to the game to see what I can do next. Things like that can change the whole attitude of an organization. I want to win." He later told the ''Star Tribune'' in an interview, "I want to be the best player to ever play this game."

Nearly three months after being drafted, he was signed by the Vikings on July 29, 2007. His contract is worth US$40.5 million over six years, with $17 million guaranteed.

2007 season

Peterson began his outstanding rookie season with high expectations for himself; he announced ambitious goals including being named Offensive Rookie of the Year and rushing for over 1,300 yards during the course of the year. The NFL's rushing record for a rookie is currently held by Eric Dickerson at 1,808 yards. Just 11 weeks into his rookie season with the Vikings, Peterson was well on his way to Dickerson's record and considered one of the elite running backs in the NFL.

On August 10, Peterson made his Minnesota Vikings debut in a preseason game against the St. Louis Rams. Peterson ran for 33 yards on 11 carries with 1 catch for 2 yards. On September 9, 2007, Peterson ran for 103 yards on 19 carries in his first NFL regular season game against the Atlanta Falcons. In addition to his rushing yardage, he scored his first professional football touchdown on a 60-yard pass reception. Over his first three regular season games, his 431 yards (271 rushing & 160 receiving) from scrimmage are a team record. For his performance during the three games, Peterson received the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month award for both September and October 2007.

His breakout game as a professional came on October 14, 2007 against the Chicago Bears, highlighted by a three-touchdown performance and a then-franchise record of 224 yards rushing on 20 carries. Peterson established additional team records for a rookie during this game, which included the most 100-yard games rushing and the longest touchdown run from scrimmage. He also set an NFL rookie record with 361 all-purpose yards in a single game. His 607 rushing yards through the first five games of the season is second in NFL history to Eric Dickerson. Following Peterson's record performance, Deion Sanders, now an NFL Network analyst, said about him: "He has the vision of a Marshall Faulk, the power of an Earl Campbell, and the speed of an Eric Dickerson. Let's pray he has the endurance of an Emmitt Smith." He has also been compared to Walter Payton and Tony Dorsett by ''Star Tribune'' sports journalist Jim Souhan.

Three weeks later, on November 4, 2007, Peterson broke his own franchise record as well as the NFL single game rushing yard record (previously held by Jamal Lewis since 2003) when he rushed for 296 yards on 30 carries and 3 touchdowns against the San Diego Chargers in a home game in Minneapolis. That game was his second game of over 200 yards rushing, a feat no other rookie has ever accomplished in a season. In addition to the NFL rushing record in a single game, it took him past 1,000 yards rushing for the year after just eight games. His 1,036 rushing yards represents the best eight-game performance by a rookie in NFL history.

In honor of Peterson's record-breaking performance against the San Diego Chargers, the jersey he wore that night was sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On November 11, 2007, just a week later, Peterson injured the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee in a game against the Green Bay Packers. The injury occurred in the third quarter of a 34–0 defeat at Lambeau Field on a low tackle by Packers cornerback Al Harris. Almost a month after the injury, Peterson returned to action on December 2, 2007 against the Detroit Lions scoring 2 touchdowns and rushing for 116 yards.

On December 17, Peterson played in his first Monday Night Football game, where he had 78 yards rushing, 17 yards receiving and 2 TDs. The next day he was named as the starting running back for the 2008 NFC Pro Bowl team. On January 2, he was named The Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

On February 10, 2008, Peterson won the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl MVP award with 16 carries for 129 yards rushing along with 2 touchdowns. The 129 yards rushing was the 2nd most in Pro Bowl history. He was the first rookie since Marshall Faulk in 1994 to win the Pro Bowl MVP award. Peterson and Faulk are currently the only NFL players to win both the NFL Pro Bowl MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the same year.

Peterson finished in second place in rushing yards (1341) in the 2007 season behind LaDainian Tomlinson, who finished with 1474 rushing yards.

2008 season

Peterson and the Vikings entered the 2008 season with high expectations and as he did during his rookie season, Peterson set high goals for himself including a 2,000-yard campaign and the NFL MVP award. Questions remained as to Peterson's durability and the ability of the Vikings offense to take the focus of opposing defenses off Peterson.

Peterson and the Vikings began the season with a 24–19 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He finished with 103 yards on 19 carries along with a touchdown. In the following loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Peterson rushed for a then season-high 160 yards on 29 carries, and also recorded 4 receptions for 20 yards. However, Peterson was held to 77 yards on 17 carries and no score in their 20–10 win against the Carolina Panthers, partly because of a hamstring injury suffered the previous week. In the next game, a loss to Tennessee, Peterson rushed 18 times for 80 yards and scored 2 touchdowns along with 4 receptions for 21 yards. In the 30–27 win over the New Orleans Saints, Peterson was held to 32 yards on 21 carries, a 1.5 average. Against the Detroit Lions in the following week, Peterson rushed 25 times for 111 yards, but lost 2 fumbles. However, Peterson bounced back from the fumbles the following week against the Bears, totaling 22 carries for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Following a bye week, Peterson rushed 25 times for 139 yards and a touchdown in a victory over Houston. The contest marked the third straight 100-yard rushing game for Peterson and the Vikings. As of week 8, Peterson was second in the NFL in rushing yards with 823 yards, 172 yards behind Clinton Portis.

In week 10, on Sunday, November 9, Peterson played in a victory against the Green Bay Packers 28–27. He had 30 carries for 192 yards. His longest run was 29 yards; the run was the game-winning touchdown. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry and also had 3 receptions. Peterson's stellar performance put him in the top spot for rushing yards this season, with 1015 yards.

Week 11 saw the Minnesota Vikings (5–4) at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6–3). Tampa Bay was coming off a bye week and was a notoriously difficult team to run against. Peterson was limited to 85 yards on just 19 carries, as the Vikings struggled to produce offense. In Week 12 Peterson was benched the first two offensive series vs. the Jaguars for being late to a team meeting, although he did amass 80 rushing yards and a TD. At the end of Week 12, Peterson became the NFL league leader for rushing yards again with 1,311 yards. Following Week 16, Peterson had 1,657 yards which led the league, and it was announced on December 18, Peterson would be the starting running back for the NFC Pro Bowl team. In his final regular season game in 2008, Peterson ran for 103 yards 21 carries, including a 67 yard touchdown run.

Peterson finished the season leading the league in rushing with 1,760 yards, which marks the third-most yards in a sophomore season behind Eric Dickerson's 2,105 yard season, and Chris Johnson's 2,006-yard season one year later.

In Peterson's first 30 games he had 3,101 yards, which marks the 3rd best start to a career for running backs behind Eric Dickerson with 3,600 yards and Jim Brown with 3,144 yards. He became the fourth running back to lead the league in yards per game in his first two seasons along with Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, and Eric Dickerson.

On January 14, 2009, Peterson was named to his second AP All-Pro team in two years.

2009 season

Prior to the start of the 2009 season, analysts of both the NFL Network and ESPN unanimously named Peterson the best running back in the NFL today. However, the arrival of Brett Favre, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, coming out of retirement brought both expectation and speculation about Peterson's new role in the offense. Head Coach Brad Childress, however, stated that he wanted to continue leaning on Peterson, giving him a large number of carries. Favre worked well into the offense through the first half of the season, re-establishing Peterson's ability with a passing attack. Peterson had 917 rushing yards through week 10, while the Vikings had a record of 8–1.

Peterson opened the season by rushing for 180 yards on 25 carries and 3 touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns, setting a new Vikings franchise record for opening day rushing. He again broke the hundred-yard barrier in week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens, with 143 yards and 22 carries. His next 100-yard effort came against the Lions, with 133 yards on 18 carries, and he was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Week.

In the playoffs, Minnesota won against the Dallas Cowboys 34–3 but then lost to the Saints in an overtime thriller 31–28. Peterson rushed for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Peterson finished the year fifth in rushing and lost Fed-Ex Ground player of the year to Chris Johnson who had over 2,000 yards rushing on the 2009 season. Peterson was voted to the Pro Bowl December 29 as the starting RB for the NFC team.

2010 season

Peterson opened strongly in 2010, with 392 yards and 3 touchdowns through the first 3 weeks. In week 6, he went over the 5,000 yard career rushing mark against the Dallas Cowboys. At week 7, Peterson was second in the league with 684 yards, averaging 114 yards per game, but the Vikings had dropped to a disappointing mark of 2–4. By Week 16, Peterson had rushed for 1,267 yards with 12 touchdowns, as the Vikings improved to a 6–9 record. Peterson, who was infamous for fumbling the ball in previous seasons, had a dramatic change in the 2010 season with only one fumble during the regular season, a remarkable turnaround from his previous performances. While the Vikings missed the playoffs, Peterson represented his team in the Pro Bowl. Peterson thus far has been selected to the Pro Bowl every year he has played in the NFL. During the game, Peterson contributed 80 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 55-41 NFC win.

After the season, Adrian Peterson was voted the # 1 running back and # 3 player overall on NFL Network's list of the Top 100 Players of 2011 as selected exclusively by NFL players.

2011 season

According to NFL.com, Peterson is ranked as the best player in the NFL. ESPN has Peterson ranked as the number one overall fantasy football player.

NFL awards

2007 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

2007 Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year

2007 Second-Team All-Pro

2007 Pro Bowl MVP

2007 Pro Bowl

2008 Pro Bowl

2008 Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award

2008 Rushing Title (1760 yards)

2008 First-Team All-Pro

2008 FedEx Ground Player of the Year.

2009 Pro Bowl

2009 First-Team All-Pro

2010 Pro Bowl

2010 Second-Team All-Pro

NFL records

Most 200-yard rushing games for a rookie (2)

Most yards rushing in the first eight games (1,036)

Most yards rushing in a single game (296)

Second rookie ever to win Pro Bowl MVP (Marshall Faulk in 1994)

Pro Bowl record in career rushing touchdowns (4)

Career statistics

''Source: NFL.com'' 14 Min Min Min 1,198

colspan="2"		Rushing							Receiving				Fumbles
! Season !! Team !! GP !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Yds/G !! Long !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Long !! TD !! Fum !! Lost
2007	Min	|	238	1,341	5.6	95.8	73T	12	19	268	60T	1	4	3
2008	|	16	363	1,760	4.8	110.0	67T	10	21	125	16	0	9	4
2009	|	16	314	1,383	4.4	88.2	64T	18	43	436	63	0	7	6
2010	|	15	283	1,298	4.6	93.6	80T	12	36	341	34	1	1	1
Career total	61	|	5,782	4.8	94.8	80T	52	119	1,170	63	2	21	14

Personal

Peterson was a hyperactive toddler, ramping up his activity while others his age napped. His dad nicknamed him "All Day", which was later shortened to A.D.—his nickname today. Peterson's brother Brian, older by one year, was killed by a drunk driver when Peterson was eight; another half-brother was murdered the night before Peterson participated in the NFL Combine.

In an episode of ''E:60'', ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols states that Peterson has one child, a daughter named Adeja. He currently resides in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his brothers Derrick and Eldon Peterson.

Recently, as the NFL network series Top 100 - NFL players of 2011 concluded, Peterson was voted as the number 3 player in the league, behind only quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

References

External links

Minnesota Vikings bio

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:People from Anderson County, Texas Category:U.S. Army All-American football players Category:African American players of American football Category:American football running backs Category:Oklahoma Sooners football players Category:Minnesota Vikings players Category:National Football League Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winners Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (football)

da:Adrian Peterson de:Adrian Peterson es:Adrian Peterson fr:Adrian L. Peterson it:Adrian L. Peterson lv:Adrians Pītersons ja:エイドリアン・ピーターソン sv:Adrian Peterson tl:Adrian Peterson

Name	Ron Artest
Width	220px
Position	Small forward
Height ft	6
Height in	7
Weight lb	260
Team	Los Angeles Lakers
Number	15
Nationality	American
Birth date	November 13, 1979
Birth place	Queens, New York
College	St. John's
High school	La Salle Academy
Draft round	1
Draft pick	16
Draft year	1999
Draft team	Chicago Bulls
Career start	1999
Years1	– |team1 Chicago Bulls
Years2	– |team2 Indiana Pacers
Years3	– |team3 Sacramento Kings
Years4	|team4 Houston Rockets
Years5	–present |team5 Los Angeles Lakers
Highlights	NBA Champion (2010) NBA Defensive Player of the Year () NBA All-Star (2004) All-NBA Third Team () 2× All-Defensive First Team (, ) 2× All-Defensive Second Team (, ) NBA All-Rookie Second Team () J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award () Haggerty Award (1999) }}

Ronald William "Ron" Artest, Jr. (born November 13, 1979) is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. Artest gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004. He was a major participant in the Pacers–Pistons brawl and is known for his sometimes eccentric, outspoken behavior.

Biography

Artest was born and raised in the Queensbridge projects in Queens, New York. Artest has two younger brothers, Isaiah and Daniel. He played high school basketball at La Salle Academy and college basketball at St. John's University from 1997–1999. In 1999, he helped the Red Storm to the Elite Eight, losing to Ohio State in a classic game. He gained fame playing in some of New York City's high profile summer basketball tournaments at Nike Pro City, Hoops in the Sun at Orchard Beach, Bronx, New York and Dyckman Park at Washington Heights, earning himself nicknames such as Tru Warier and The New World Order, a name he received from Randy Cruz (one of the co-founders of the Hoops In The Sun basketball league at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, New York).

As a teenager, he was teamed with Elton Brand of the Philadelphia 76ers and current teammate Lamar Odom of the Los Angeles Lakers on the same AAU team.

Growing up in a rough neighborhood Artest claims he witnessed the murder of a fellow player on a basketball court. "It was so competitive, they broke a leg from a table and they threw it, it went right through his heart and he died right on the court. So I'm accustomed to playing basketball really rough." The player Artest was speaking of was 19-year-old Lloyd Newton, who was stabbed in the back with a broken-off table leg during an altercation at a 1991 YMCA-sanctioned basketball tournament.

Chicago Bulls

Artest was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th pick of the 1999 NBA Draft.

Artest played a total of 175 games for the Bulls over 2-1/2 years, the bulk as a starter, during which time he averaged about 12.5 points and just over 4 rebounds per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in the 1999–2000 season.

Midway through the 2001–02 season, Artest was traded by Chicago to the Indiana Pacers along with Ron Mercer, Brad Miller, and Kevin Ollie, in exchange for Jalen Rose, Travis Best, Norman Richardson, and a 2nd round draft pick.

Indiana Pacers

Following his trade to the Pacers, Artest had the best season of his professional career. During the 2003–04 season, he averaged 18.3 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game. Artest made the 2004 All-Star Game as a reserve and was named the Defensive Player of the Year. He wore three jersey numbers for the Pacers: 15, 23 and 91.

Pacers–Pistons brawl

On November 19, 2004, Artest was at the center of an altercation among players and fans during a game in Auburn Hills, Michigan between Artest's Pacers and the home team Detroit Pistons.

The brawl began when Artest fouled Pistons center Ben Wallace as Wallace was putting up a shot. Wallace, upset at being fouled hard when the game was effectively over (the Pacers led 97–82 with less than 50 seconds to go), responded by shoving Artest, leading to an altercation near the scorer's table. Artest walked to the sideline and lay down on the scorer's table. Reacting to Wallace throwing something at Artest, Pistons fan John Green threw a cup of Diet Coke at Artest, hitting him. Artest jumped into the front-row seats and confronted a man he incorrectly believed to be responsible, which in turn erupted into a brawl between Pistons fans and several of the Pacers. Artest returned to the basketball court, and punched Pistons fan A.J. Shackleford, who was apparently taunting Artest verbally. This fight resulted in the game being stopped with less than a minute remaining. Artest's teammates Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson were suspended indefinitely the day after the game, along with Wallace.

On November 21, the NBA suspended Artest for the rest of the regular season, plus any playoff games. All told, Artest missed 86 games (73 regular season games plus 13 playoff games), the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history. Eight other players (four Pacers and four Pistons) received suspensions, without pay, which ranged from one to thirty games in length. Each of the Pacers players involved were levied fines and ordered to do community service. Several fans were also charged and were banned from attending Pistons games for life. Artest lost approximately $7 million in salary due to the suspension.

Aftermath and trade

Early in the 2005–06 season, Artest requested a trade from the Indiana Pacers and was put on the team's inactive roster. Artest's call for a trade created a rift between him and his teammates. "We felt betrayed, a little disrespected," teammate Jermaine O'Neal said. As for their basketball relationship, O'Neal said: "The business relationship is over. That's fact." Pacers president Larry Bird said he also felt "betrayed" and "disappointed."

On January 24, 2006, reports from NBA sources confirmed that the Sacramento Kings had agreed to trade Peja Stojaković to the Pacers for Artest. However, before the trade could be completed, many press outlets reported that Artest had informed team management that he did not want to go to Sacramento. According to Artest's agent, his original trade request was only made because he was upset when he heard rumors that the Pacers were going to trade him to Sacramento for Stojaković early in the season. While not denying his agent's story, Artest did deny that he had rejected the trade to Sacramento, saying that he would play anywhere; hence, contradicting earlier press accounts stating Artest was holding up the trade. Given conflicting accounts, it is unclear why the trade was delayed, but it was nevertheless completed on January 25 and Artest was officially sent to the Kings for Stojaković.

Sacramento Kings

Though traded midseason to the Kings franchise, Artest quickly found his place on the team by providing some much needed defense. Though many feared his abrasive personality would be a problem, he worked well with his teammates and then-coach Rick Adelman. Artest wore #93 for his jersey number with the Kings. After acquiring Artest in late January 2006, the team immediately went on a 14–5 run, the team's best run of the season. The Kings broke .500 and landed the eighth spot in the Western Conference. This prompted ESPN to declare that "Ron Artest has breathed new life in the Sacramento Kings and enhanced their chances of reaching the playoffs for the ninth straight year." Fox Sports proclaimed, "Artest has Kings back in playoff hunt."

He was suspended for Game 2 of the team's first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs following a flagrant foul (elbow to the head) on Manu Ginóbili. The Kings eventually were eliminated from the playoffs in six games.

After the playoffs, Artest offered to donate his entire salary to keep teammate Bonzi Wells with the team, who became a free agent after the 2005–06 NBA season. He even jokingly threatened to kill Wells if he did not re-sign with the Kings. Wells was later picked up by the Houston Rockets and then traded to the New Orleans Hornets for former Sacramento Kings player Bobby Jackson. Artest also offered to donate his salary to retain the services of head coach Rick Adelman, whose contract expired after the same season. Adelman and the Kings did not agree on a contract extension so the two parted ways.

Houston Rockets

On July 29, 2008, it was reported that Artest was to be traded to the Houston Rockets along with Patrick Ewing, Jr. and Sean Singletary for Bobby Jackson, recently drafted forward Donté Greene, a 2009 first-round draft pick, and cash considerations. The deal was made official on August 14, due to Greene's rookie contract signing on July 14. In response to the trade, Yao Ming was generally positive, but jokingly said that "hopefully he's not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands." In response, Artest said, "This is Tracy (McGrady) and Yao's team, you know. I'm not going to take it personal. I understand what Yao said, but I'm still ghetto. That's not going to change. I'm never going to change my culture. Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don't think he's ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture."

Since then, Artest and Yao have exchanged extensive phone calls. Artest has also said, "Whatever Adelman needs me to do, whether that's come off the bench, sixth, seventh man, start, I don't even care. Whatever he needs me to do, I'm 100 percent sure it's going to work out."

On October 30, 2008, Artest received his first technical as a Houston Rocket, as he raced towards a group of Dallas Mavericks players and then quickly went to Yao Ming who bumped Josh Howard after play stopped. Artest was trying to pull Ming away from the play and to the foul line, but contact was made with Maverick players. The TNT broadcast crew felt this technical was not warranted, and was based upon Artest's prior reputation as a feisty player in the league. In the playoffs, Artest helped the Rockets advance past the first round for the first time in 11 seasons. In Game 2 of the second round against the Los Angeles Lakers, Artest, who was battling for rebounding position with Kobe Bryant, was elbowed in the neck by Bryant, which was later ruled to be a Type 1 flagrant foul. After being called for an offensive foul, Artest was indignant and proceeded to antagonize Bryant after the play, which eventually led to an ejection by Joe Crawford. In Game 3, Artest was again ejected in the fourth quarter after a hard foul on Pau Gasol, who was attempting to dunk on a fast-break. It was determined the next day that the foul was not serious enough to warrant an ejection, and the flagrant foul was downgraded.

Los Angeles Lakers

In July 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Artest to a five-year deal worth about $33 million. Artest chose the number 37 jersey, which he said was in honor of Michael Jackson. Jackson's ''Thriller'' album was at No. 1 on the charts for 37 straight weeks.

In Game 5 of the 2010 Western Conference Finals, Artest hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer after grabbing a last second offensive rebound. He scored 25 points against the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 and went to the NBA Finals for the first time in his career. In the finals, the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics, four games to three. Artest scored 20 points in the clincher and sank the team's last field goal – a three-pointer late in the fourth quarter – to virtually seal the victory. Afterwards, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson called Artest the most valuable player of Game 7 against the Celtics. He won his first championship ring with the Lakers.

For the 2010–2011 season, Artest switched back to number 15, his college number at St. John’s and the first number he wore in his NBA career.

On April 26, 2011, Artest won the NBA's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.

Career transactions

June 30, 1999: Drafted 16th overall by Chicago Bulls in 1999 NBA Draft.

February 19, 2002: Traded by Chicago along with Ron Mercer, Brad Miller and Kevin Ollie to the Indiana Pacers for Jalen Rose, Travis Best, Norman Richardson and a future second-round draft pick. January 25, 2006: Traded by Indiana to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojaković. August 21, 2008: Traded by Sacramento along with Patrick Ewing, Jr. and Sean Singletary to the Houston Rockets for Bobby Jackson, Donté Greene and a future first-round draft pick. July 8, 2009: Signed by the Los Angeles Lakers for a 5-year deal worth 33 million dollars.

Endorsements and media presence

Artest currently endorses Chinese athletics brand Peak Sport Products along with former teammate Sasha Vujačić.

In April 2010, it was announced that Artest would help develop and produce his own reality show, ''They Call Me Crazy'', in conjunction with E1 Entertainment and Tijuana Entertainment.

On December 18, 2010, an art show honoring Ron Artest was held in Toronto, Canada. Entitled Lovable Badass, the show featured work by 30 Canadian and American artists, illustrators, painters and sculptors inspired by the athlete. Artest made a surprise appearance at the exhibition's opening night, commenting that “(the show) was definitely special. It was unexpected. Overwhelming.”

Artest was announced as part of the line-up for the thirteenth season of the reality show ''Dancing with the Stars''.

Advocacy

In 2008, Artest appeared in a video promoting companion animal spaying and neutering for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals entitled "Have the balls to spay or neuter your dog."

Artest has become involved in advocacy relating to mental health issues. In December 2010, he announced that he would donate some or all of his salary for the 2011–2012 NBA season toward mental health awareness charities. Artest also auctioned off his 2009-10 championship ring and donated the proceeds to various mental health charities nationwide.

On June 23, 2011, TMZ reported that Artest had filed a petition in L.A. County Superior Court to change his name to Metta World Peace. The idea was inspired by Chad Ochocinco's name change. "Metta" would be his first name, and "World Peace" would be the last.

Discography

			*Released: October 31, 2006	*Label: Lightyear Records	*Chart Positions: N/A	*Last RIAA certification: N/A	*Singles: N/A

Mixtapes

Ball'n (2011)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00 | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 72 || 63 || 31.1 || .407 || .314 || .674 || 4.3 || 2.8 || 1.6 || .5 || 12.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2000–01 | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 76 || 74 || 31.1 || .401 || .291 || .750 || 3.9 || 3.0 || 2.0 || .6 || 11.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02 | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 27 || 26 || 30.5 || .433 || .396 || .628 || 4.9 || 2.9 || 2.8 || .9 || 15.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 28 || 24 || 29.3 || .411 || .215 || .733 || 5.0 || 1.8 || 2.4 || .6 || 10.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 69 || 67 || 33.6 || .428 || .336 || .736 || 5.2 || 2.9 || 2.3 || .7 || 15.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 73 || 71 || 37.2 || .421 || .310 || .733 || 5.3 || 3.7 || 2.1 || .7 || 18.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 7 || 7 || 41.6 || .496 || .412 || .922 || 6.4 || 3.1 || 1.7 || .9 || 24.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 16 || 16 || 37.7 || .460 || .333 || .612 || 4.9 || 2.2 || 2.6 || .7 || 19.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Sacramento | 40 || 40 || 40.1 || .383 || .302 || .717 || 5.2 || 4.2 || 2.0 || .8 || 16.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Sacramento | 70 || 65 || 37.7 || .440 || .358 || .740 || 6.5 || 3.4 || 2.1 || .6 || 18.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Sacramento | 57 || 54 || 38.1 || .453 || .380 || .719 || 5.8 || 3.5 || 2.3 || .7 || 20.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 69 || 55 || 35.5 || .401 || .399 || .748 || 5.2 || 3.3 || 1.5 || .3 || 17.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 77 || 77 || 33.8 || .414 || .355 || .688 || 4.3 || 3.0 || 1.4 || .3 || 11.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 82 || 82 || 29.4 || .397 || .356 || .676 || 3.3 || 2.1 || 1.5 || .4 || 8.5 |-class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 763 || 721 || 34.1 || .419 || .345 || .719 || 4.8 || 3.0 || 1.9 || .6 || 14.8 |-class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 1 || 0 || 17.0 || .600 || .000 || .500 || 3.0 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .0 || 7.0

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2002 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 5 || 5 || 33.4 || .407 || .462 || .692 || 6.0 || 3.2 || 2.6 || .6 || 11.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 6 || 6 || 42.0 || .389 || .387 || .800 || 5.8 || 2.2 || 2.5 || 1.0 || 19.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 15 || 15 || 38.9 || .378 || .288 || .718 || 6.5 || 3.2 || 1.4 || 1.1 || 18.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006 | style="text-align:left;"| Sacramento | 5 || 5 || 39.6 || .383 || .333 || .696 || 5.0 || 3.0 || 1.6 || .8 || 17.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 13 || 13 || 37.5 || .394 || .277 || .714 || 4.3 || 4.2 || 1.1 || .2 || 15.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 23 || 23 || 36.5 || .398 || .291 || .579 || 4.0 || 2.1 || 1.5 || .5 || 11.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2011 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 9 || 9 || 31.9 || .443 || .321 || .762 || 4.6 || 2.2 || 1.1 || .8 || 10.6 |-class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 76 || 76 || 37.0 || .394 || .307 || .710 || 4.9 || 2.8 || 1.5 || .7 || 14.4

Controversy

Artest has been a subject of frequent controversy. In a December 2009 ''Sporting News'' interview, Artest admitted that he had led a "wild" lifestyle as a young player, and that he drank Hennessy cognac in the locker room at halftime when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls at the beginning of his NBA career. During his rookie season in Chicago, he was criticized for applying for a job at Circuit City in order to get an employee discount. He once attended a practice with the Indiana Pacers in a bath robe. He was suspended for two games in the early 2004–05 season by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle after he allegedly asked for a month off because he was tired from promoting an R&B; album for the group Allure on his production label. Artest had also been suspended for three games in 2003 for destroying a television camera at Madison Square Garden, and for four games for a confrontation with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley in 2003. He has also been suspended several times for flagrant fouls. Artest was also involved in the infamous Pacers-Pistons brawl in 2004.

Legal troubles

According to a Placer County report obtained by the Sacramento Bee, on January 30, 2007, Animal Services officers issued a "pre-seizure" notice to Artest, on the suspicion that a dog at his home in Loomis was not getting adequate food. On February 5, officers returned and seized Socks, a female Great Dane, removing her into protective custody with a local veterinarian. The seizure cited a law that requires animal caretakers to "provide proper sustenance." Artest later sent an email to the Bee, writing "I'm glad to say all problems are solved now, and I'm looking forward to getting my dog back." In March 2007, his dog was released under a foster care agreement after being treated for more than a month. In April 2007, the Placer County District Attorney's Office announced that it would not file charges against Artest for the incident. It also was reported by Placer County Animal Services and by Artest that he agreed to allow Socks to be adopted by a new owner.

On March 5, 2007, Artest was arrested for domestic abuse, and excused from Sacramento Kings indefinitely by GM Geoff Petrie. On March 10, Kings announced that Artest would return to the team, while his case was being reviewed by the Placer County District Attorney. On May 3, he was sentenced to 20 days in jail and community service. Artest spent only 10 days in the jail, as the judge stayed 10 days of the sentence, and served the remainder in a work release program. On July 14, 2007, the NBA suspended Artest for seven games at the beginning of the 2007–08 NBA season for his legal problems.

See also

List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

References

External links

Ron Artest official site

Ron Artest Player Page, NBA.com

Ron Artest Career Statistics, Basketball-Reference.com

Ron Artest Career Statistics, Database Basketball.com

ESPN Profile

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players from New York Category:Chicago Bulls draft picks Category:Chicago Bulls players Category:Houston Rockets players Category:Indiana Pacers players Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award winners Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Sportspeople from Queens Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Sacramento Kings players Category:St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players Category:Shooting guards Category:Small forwards

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